EUREKA — Twelve years and nearly $10 million since the project began, the revitalized Woodford County Highway 1 could be realized by the year’s end.

The Woodford County Board voted Tuesday to award a $2.9 million bid to Advanced Asphalt of Princeville to complete construction and repairs on the 3-mile stretch and the road’s northern end.

The “long overdue” project, Woodford County Highway Engineer Bob Cherveny said, could begin as early as August and includes the complete reconstruction of 1 mile of road and the reinforcement and resurfacing of 2 miles constructed last year.

The fourth and final phase of the project follows more than a decade of on-and-off construction throughout the 8-mile stretch of highway from Illinois Route 116 northerly and westerly toward Washburn, where it connects with Illinois Route 89.

“You save up and do something, save up and do something,” Cherveny said. “One million dollars a mile for a little county like Woodford is a lot.”

The cost includes land acquisition, utility relocation and other costs related to the construction.

The board also approved nearly $47,000 to relocate several Ameren power poles to accommodate the new highway’s path.

When completed, County Highway 1 will be reclassified as a Class III truck route, permitting vehicles up to 80,000 pounds.